Brown: Yes, Progressives, God Made Farmers

By Susan Stamper BrownFebruary 8, 2013 12:30 pm

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What was it about the Dodge' commercial, "God Made a Farmer," that stirred the souls of so many Americans during the Superbowl? Maybe it was the imagery of the dirt and grit of real America, not the white-washed concrete meccas many of us call home. Maybe for just a moment we were unplugged from our instant and superficial world and taken back to a time when we were captivated by God's creation, not what our friends were doing on Facebook. Or maybe it was just the quintessential sound of American icon, the late Paul Harvey, whose voice wraps around you like a warm blanket on a cold day. His message was one you could expect for a happy ending, even at a time when happy endings weren't en vogue.

Or maybe it was the unvarnished idea of the farmer, which is so often identified with America. It is the image of a tough life, one marked by hard work and honest living. A time when men were men, and that was okay. A time when workdays didn't end until the work was done.

When was the last time anyone gave a second thought as to where their groceries came from? Or, even cared? I haven't in a long time, at least not until this commercial aired. When I need food, I drive to the nearest grocery store and buy some, and become irritated when the date on the milk isn't as new as I'd like it to be. I've never had to provide milk for myself, and I'll bet farmers feel a certain sense of pride when the shelves are full, and dates are fresh.

But why should we care? Because besides feeding us, American farms feed the world. According to the American Farm Bureau in 2010, one third of the farms in the U.S. exported upwards of "$115 billion worth of American agricultural products." All this from more than two million farms across the country. Not too shabby, until you consider in 1935 there were nearly seven million farms. And it's getting worse.

Farming, like manufacturing, has begun a slow death in this country, sped along by a lazy younger workforce, many of which would rather stare at, as my niece so describes, "glowing rectangular objects" (smart phones), than produce something with soiled hands. According to the EPA, around 40 percent of farmers are 55 years old, or older. And according to the 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture, farmers under the age of 45 dropped 21 percent in five years.

The EPA report stated, "The graying of the farm population has led to concerns about the long-term health of family farms as an American institution," therefore the direct attack of family farms in 2012 by the Progressive-leaning Obama administration should have come as no surprise to anyone. After massive outcry, the DOL dropped its oppressive imperative banning children from working on their parents' farms.

In their quest to upend all that makes this country great, Progressives have hijacked the word "progressive" in hopes to paint buttercream icing over the cow dung they call ideology. And many of us have theoretically ingested it, without thought, and have no idea why our stomachs hurt and souls feel empty. It came as no surprise liberals attacked the Paul Harvey Superbowl commercial. The Atlantic called it "racist," The LA Times, "retro," and some bloggers deemed it "religious."

All is not lost though because a real and present war still wages for the heart and soul of America. On one side, there are those who would have us wholeheartedly embrace hedonism, self-worship, and bowing down to the god of government. And on the other side, there are those who provide for the needs of the others, and still find time to quietly celebrate God, family, country, sacrifice, and the virtues of hard work and self-reliance.

23 Comments

Comment by reelman February 8, 2013 @ 1:55 pm

SO GOD MADE THE OzBAMA
God looked around and saw America needed to be punished,
so God made the OzBama
There was a need to hide the background of a presidential candidate,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a national media longing for a charming utopian socialist,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a great increase in gullible parasites who really wanted
to be dependent on a monster nanny gov-meant,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a cadre of Hollyweirds that needed a secularist idol to worship,
so God made the OzBama.
There were single women for sale that preferred security over freedom,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a group of rich control freak socialists that needed a slick smiling puppet,
so God made the OzBama.
There was group of voters that wanted a role model to mindlessly worship,
so God made the OzBama.
There were arrogant academics lacking a real job but wanting their utopianism implemented,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a shy Republican elite rejecting conservatism that needed a lesson,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a need to forget the bold liar Clinton,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a national debt that needed to be doubled to buy votes,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a constitution and laws itching to be ignored,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a superb private healthcare system to be socialized,
so God made the OzBama.
There were millions of job losses to be excused,
so God made the OzBama.
There were thug nation leaders wanting to hoodwink America,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a need to replace accountability with demons,
so God made the OzBama.
There was a need to replace the nightmare of Jimmah Carter,
so God made the OzBama.http://theconservativecrawfish

It was not God that made the OzBama, it was Satan, enabled by our indifference to God over the past 50 years!

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Comment by earlangus February 8, 2013 @ 4:35 pm

I can`t believe the amount of people I know that truly believe that eggs, meat ,chickens, fruit and veggies are made in the grocerey store. They will not eat a brown or any other colored egg but white. They come from a carton at the store and they won`t believe otherwise. Meat is the same way.Its all from the store. They have no clue what a farmer does.. We would die of starvation if it was not from the farmer.

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Comment by oleteabag February 8, 2013 @ 11:29 pm

Amen and amen!

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Comment by galex February 8, 2013 @ 2:25 pm

What was it about the “God Made a Farmer” commercial that grabbed our attention?

It was the stark acknowledgement that “all we enjoy and benefit from” comes from God. That even though the road may be filled with bumps and is rough, in the end it is all good, because He is the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

This was a commercial that stood up and smacked us right in the face. The truth has a way of doing that, and nobody could deliver the truth on any subject quite as well as Paul Harvey. I miss him, God rest his soul!

“In their quest to upend all that makes this country great, Progressives have hijacked the word “progressive” in hopes to paint buttercream icing over the cow dung they call ideology.” This is perfectly presented for what the Left is doing.

Ms. Brown, your interpretation of this commercial is as powerful as the commercial itself was. I’m just surprised that Obama in his supreme arrogance hasn’t raised his pie-hole to the heavens and informed God that “You didn’t build that”

Well written article. Let me comment on the last paragraph by saying that more people are going over to the dark side every day and there are now more of them than us. There is no hope of those people ever having a “Come to Jesus” moment, so we need to stop turning the other cheek. Other than with the direct intervention of God, or all out Civil War, I see no other way to change the masses.

When this speech is deemed illegal, I’ll be declared a criminal: “I may become an enemy of the state, but never of the people”. Remember this, always aim just below the blue helmet, no matter what color it is.

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Comment by praireliving February 8, 2013 @ 4:10 pm

I didn’t watch the Super Bowl so this is the first I’ve seen this commercial and all I can say is:
I am so darn proud to live in a state where farming is still the main industry, where all my neighbors are farmers and ranchers, and where you can see God’s handiwork every time you look out the window at the fields and prairie. I’m a transplant to the state and I have never met such wonderful, helpful, compassionate and great people in all my life in any of the cities I’ve ever lived in. It doesn’t matter that the closest neighbor is over 1 mile away over a soybean field we’re closer and more caring of each other than when I lived in a city where I could practically touch the home of my neighbor by reaching out the window.

Another provocative dissertation by the Great American Orator, Paul Harvey, is ” If I Were The Devil”, which might explain this country’s current situation, even though it was published 45 years ago. He truly was a ‘prophet’.

I grew up in a family that took care of themselves with no real help from anyone (especially government) except for other members of the family and friends and neighbors which helped each other. The industry in my little home town was coal mining and the surrounding area was all small farms. Most of us worked for the farmers in the summer for extra money and helped them get crops in and hay and feed for their animals. The small towns around us depended on income primarily from mining and farming. It was a rural environment and everyone went to a church of their choice on Sunday and gathered with family and friends on Sunday afternoon and evenings. Most of those working in the mines came from immigrants from western Europe and embraced their new country with emotion and patriotism and were happy to have the opportunity to pursue their version of the American dream.

All of that has been turned in its head in the last 60 years. The EPA is well on its way to killing the coal industry in my home state and the small family farms are dying a slow death. My hometown is a ghost town and the economy in the state is slowly going down with the only light at the end of the tunnel being possibly natural gas and oil obtained through the fracking process if the EPA doesn’t kill that growing energy business.

The population in the state is declining and the young people have to move out of state to find a job and create a life for themselves. Sad situation for our country, and it is just one scenario in the decline of the country that is happening all around us. As the incentives for a person to commit to put the time and hard work into education in order to have a desired level of a good life are removed by the changes in our culture, then it sets the deterioration of our country into motion. When millions of Americans can live off of others through government safety nets that are being abused and do not have to get an education or get an 8 to 5 job, it is the undermining of the fabric of the country and the creation of the socialist model of the entitlement state.

Yes, times have changed and it has not been for the good for the American experiment. The extremist liberals who have gradually taken control of our country are responsible for what is happening and most average Americans are unknowing victims to how this has happened and have become the anecdotal frog in the pot on the stove being brought to a boil. They have been brainwashed to accept a lower standard of living as the norm for them. They have been led to believe that high achievement and commensurate rewards (income and assets) are sinful and an abuse of the opportunities in life. They have been led to believe that all citizens are created equal and deserve the equal rewards in life without having to earn them, and that the government will provide for them in the end.

Many younger Americans are spoiled naive human beings and a much weaker generation of Americans. Most of them could not really provide for themselves the basics of life like food, shelter and clothing and have become more dependent on others for their future. They probably have never been on a farm and accomplished any relevant typical farm chore in their life. They have never gotten their hands dirty.

I hope I am wrong about all of this…but the facts seem to support my assessment.

The comment by Iptar, above, about so many having gone over to the “dark side” could not have been better illustrated by the opening statement of a commenter in another blog complaining about the Dodge truck ad when he said “So what do trucks have to do with farming anyway?” THAT has to be the ignorant statement of the century! And proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why we have been reduced to an electorate ignorant enough to elect a completely inexperienced, incompetent, non-American usurper to the presidency.

No Farms, No Food – period.
I own a small farm. I work for a larger farm. Most of the work for the larger farm is done by, well… the owners, one hired hand and a passing parade of younger individuals who think it would be fun, & myself (working on a barter system).
The young (usually late 20′s to mid 30′s) stay until they find out they really will have to work and get dirty. There is no instant gratification in it for them. The work itself is instant gratification, look! idle land covered in weeds, work hard for a day and TA-DA! beautiful turned, enriched earth ready for planting….not enough for’em. Not INSTANT and easy! My heart aches for their future!
This has been the norm at the larger farm for years.

This country has succeeded in raising lazy, self-absorbed, greedy, ignorant, selfish, and “money grubbing” future generations. The parents are @ work, pay a yard man, pay a maid, and give their children money in place of parenting.

Sadly, several generations will miss the pleasure derived from the miracle of a tiny seed growing into a wonderful life giving plant – not only beautiful but feeds you. The reason and wonder of the changing seasons and just plain hard work that gives back so much to your heart and soul. I am teaching this to my grand daughter who is somewhat interested, but sadly more drawn toward the ease of everything she sees around her in school etc.

This is going to be one hungry, importing, impoverished nation.
Reckon the O ever got his hands dirty with actual dirt?
He’s dirty alright, just not with dirt!
What does a truck have to do with farming? That is pathetic!

As I remove myself from this machine and head out to tend the livestock (28 degrees this AM) I pray for God’s forgiveness and thank him for the wonders and miracles with which he has blessed us.

When we moved out to the country we planted a VERY large garden and I will never forget my young daughters’ excitement when they came in to let me know that the beans, peas, and corn rows had tiny little seedlings showing. When they actually got to go outside and pick the produce they sure were interested in eating it. The joy on their faces as they watched the pumpkins grow into their Halloween jack’o'lanterns was priceless. Kids who never get to see how things grow and the bounty of the land through the grace of God are poor indeed.

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Comment by empty pockets February 9, 2013 @ 7:50 am

All the progressive/communist “intended consequences” from the ruthless pursuit of their agenda are birthing such a huge swarm of killer bee “unintended consequences”.

And they’re always “surprising” to the parrot media.

When I was in school, a “D” was the last step before total failure. We’re firmly in the D-zone, increasingly populated by dupes, dolts and dimwits with the biggest ones on top.

We’ll have no energy, no water, no food. But that’s as it should be since our money will be worth less than the paper it’s printed on. Suitable for burning to stay warm, I suppose.

Around here we know exactly where our groceries come from. We are in an area where a lot of food is grown, harvested and sold..And I care, as many of the children I teach come from families who farm. However, I also drive to the grocery store for that food, as no matter where anyone lives in this country, most of your groceries will come from a grocery store. We do have little stands throughout the county during summer months where you can buy produce. And some farms owned by Amish and Mennonites where you can buy meat, cheese, milk, bread, etc. I am surprised to read what you say about never giving it a second thought. Maybe the ad and the conversation about the ad will also give thought to the fact that there are fewer and fewer family farmers around anymore. We have been aware of that for many years around here.

There is something else that the words of Paul Harvey conjures up: “Liberty”. And that is because self reliance breeds independence. There was another orator who had a way of reaching out past the metro-sexual pundits, politicians and pompous prognosticating “Alpha Hotel’s” (a military euphemism), by speaking directly to the American people of the values of freedom and liberty being achieved through hard work and self reliance that our forefathers and their descendants fought, bled and died for from the time of our founding: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.” ~ Ronald Reagan